Muslim Contribution to Sri Lankan Culture Asiff Hussein

This article is an expanded version of a presentation made by the writer on the occasion of the launch of the Movement to Promote and Strengthen Sri Lankan Muslim Identity organized by the Muslim Women’s Research and Action Forum and REACH Lanka

Little is it known that ’s Muslims have made a big contribution to pudding is perhaps best described by J.P De Fonseka (A Gourmet’s Guide Sri Lanka’s cultural life. They significantly influenced local culture in matters to Ceylon. Times of Ceylon Christmas Number 1937) who wrote about it of food, dress, jewellery and pastimes, testifying to the close relations that nearly eighty years ago as follows: “The Muslim’s is a sweet tooth. He has a existed between Muslims and other communities of the island, especially pudding (for which Allah be praised) called wattiliappam, a soft, succulent the Sinhalese and Tamils. one of and eggs and all the spices of the earth, which goes down with a demure sweetness like that of the houris in paradise”. Sri Lankan Moors, descendants of Arab merchants who espoused local women, contributed in no mean measure to the island’s culinary culture, attire and ornamentation while their Malay co-religionists whose ancestors hailed from Indonesia contributed not only to local cuisine, Relishes and Pickles but also succeeded in introducing a couple of popular national pastimes. The Malays too have contributed their share to local culinary fare. One such notable contribution is the Sambola, a preparation of grated , Food Items onions, chillies, lime juice and salt very often consumed as a relish in Sinhalese homes. This dish could be traced back to the Malay . The Arabs and their Moor descendants have made a small, yet significant Another Malay contribution to Sinhalese fare is the pickle known as contribution to Sinhalese society in matters of food.The aluva, a class achcharu made of fruits such as mango, hog plum and wild olive which of popular confections, have their origins in the Arabic halwa ‘sweet’ has its origins in the Malay achar. Among the sweets of Malay origin that suggesting that it were the Arabs who introduced this sweetmeat. This item still figure in Sinhalese festivities is the , a baked brownish cake has been in existence among the Sinhalese for some time. Robert Knox in made of flour, scraped coconut, sugar and chopped cashewnuts which has his Historical Relation of Ceylon (1681) gives alloways as flat sweetmeats originated from the Malay bikang ‘ flour cake’. , an oily, dark- in the fashion of a lozenge showing that they were in existence among the brownish sweetmeat made of rice flour, and sugar, jaggery Kandyan Sinhalese of his day. A popular beverage sold in Sinhalese wayside or treacle widely prepared in Sinhalese homes likewise has its origins in booths to this day is saruvat, which is prepared with the juices of various the Malay sweetmeat of the same name. Another Sinhalese item of Malay fruits. This drink has its origins in the Arabic sharbat ‘drink’. Benjamin origin, though hardly if ever made nowadays is the sinakku which has its Clough in his Sinhalese-English Dictionary (1892) gives saruvat as ‘sherbet’ origins in the Malay Cheena-kuve ‘Chinese Cake’, apparently because they showing that it had been known among the Sinhalese for quite some time were prepared in little cups or bowls of Chinese origin. and may go back several centuries. Among other Muslim groups that have contributed to local culinary fare Among Muslim introductions to popular food culture may be mentioned are the Bohras who were instrumental in introducing a well known item the buriyani, a rich rice dish made of fine-grained basmati rice and a copious known as godamba rotti, a sort of thin bread made with wheat flour, which quantity of mutton or chicken cooked in ghee. Indeed so popular has this is commonly made in local eating houses. J.P Fonseka in his Gourmet’s meal become that even the local chain of Kentucky Fried Chicken now Guide to Ceylon tells us that “Borahs specialise in godumba , a creation offers it as part of its regular menu. The same holds true of the dessert known of eggs and flour” suggesting that this item was introduced by this group of as Vattilappam which is made of eggs, kitul jaggery and spices, which is fast people. A further embellishment of the godamba rotti is seen in what came gaining popularity among other communities, so much so that cups of it are to be known as rotti prepared by mixing chopped godamba rotti with now being produced commercially for local consumption. This delectable a rich mix of vegetables, meat and eggs. This dish too was invented by local 38